Curtain suspending devices



A. SCHLER CURTAIN SUSPENDING DEVICES April 28, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 25, 1954 April28, 1959 A. 'SCHOLER CURTAIN SUSPENDING DEVICES3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 23, 1954 April 28, 1959 QL 2,884,055

CURTAIN SUSPENDING DEVICES Filed Nov. 23, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UnitedStates Patent CURTAIN SUSPENDIN G DEVICES Alfred Schiller,Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany, assignor to Vorwerk"& Solm, Wuppertal-Barmen,Germany,,a Ger- .man company Application November 23, 1954, Serial No.470,760

Claims priority, application Germany November'24, 1953 1. Claim. (Cl.160-348,)

The invention relates to a device. for the disposing. in folds ofcurtains, hangings or. the like (hereinafter referred to as curtain(s)),which consists of a supporting tape to be secured to the curtain and aseparate'tak'e-up cord for the control of the fold-spacing. Suchtwo-part devices for disposing curtains. in folds have the disadvantagethat they have to be applied and adapted to the curtain separately, thatis to say each part has itself to. be applied and adapted and thisinvolves troublesome and time-consuming work, the securing of the drawcord to the suspending devices, e.g. runners or hangers (hereinafterreferred to as hangers). in order to determine the fold spacing or foldvwidth of the closed curtain is particularly difiicult and troublesome,as this has. to be effected by knotting, twisting, or clamping of. .thedraw cord. and, with the object of achieving a uniform drapery effectWhile maintaining uniform spacing, by eye or by measurement.

The invention aims to avoid these disadvantages and consists incombining the supporting tape and. the take-up cord, the take-up cordbeing advantageously woven into the supporting tape so as to bedisplaceable in the longitudinal direction. The unit which is thusobtained in a very simple manner greatly facilitates marketing and thefitting of the fold disposing device. The fitting of thefold disposingdevice may according to the invention .be still further improved byproviding the draw cord throughout with perforations or eyes forthehooking- .through of the hangers, so that the securing of the cord to-the hangers with uniform spacing,,in order to limit the fold spacingand control the fold width requires merely counting the holes or eyeswhich have to be kept free between two securing points and canconsequently he carried out very easily and without special aids.

The invention further includes the feature that the supporting tape isprovided adjacent one edge, at any desired spacing which determines thesize of the folds, with elongated holes for the hooking through of thehangers and on each side of these holes with a smaller hole for the freepassage of the draw cord, which between two adjacent points ofsuspension extends alternately on the front and rear side of thesupporting tape. Further, according to the invention, the take-up cordtogether with the hangers is secured to the supporting tape at shorterdistances apart than the length of the supporting tape between twoadjacent hangers.

In this way it is brought about that, with very simple means, thecurtain on being opened and closed is automatically disposed in uniformarch-like folds, the fold arches being supported in the middle plane andbeing so balanced that tipping and drawing down or out of the folds as aresult of the weight of the curtain cannot take place. In order toassist this action the supporting tape may, according to the invention,be stiffened either by means of separate small bars inserted inlongitudinal pockets which at the same time have a fold-forming effector continuously in the longitudinal direction, for example by means ofcontinuously woven-in resiliently flexible means in the form of thinwires, strips, or springs wound in flat or helical form, or the like ofmetaLpIastic or other suitable material.

A sufficient hold or purchase on the curtain is also achieved if,according to the invention each second hanger is omitted, as the take-upcord is so stretched or stiff that it maintains the curtain at thecorrect height at those points. The take-up cord can be secured, atthose points at which a hanger is omitted, by a small clamp at. thepoints at which it passes through the supporting tape. This way ofcarrying out the inventionhas the advantage that the curtain can bepushed closer together, as of course each second hanger is missing andconsequently the remaining hangers can also be pushed closer together inor on the runway orrail. The clamping of the take-up cord tothesupporting tape at those points at which a hanger is omitted, caneven be dispensed with, as the take-up cord, as a result of frictionbetween it and the opening in the supporting tape forms. the folds. as.

longitudinal pockets and a take-up cord in the stretched condition;

Figure .2 is a perspective view in the folded condition.

in conjunction with a curtain and hangers;

Figures 3 to 7 illustrate in elevation five other forms of supportingtape having the take-up cord as a foldforrning means in the stretchedcondition and Figure 8 illustrates in perspective the supportingtapeaccording to Figure 3 in the folded condition in (mm junction withcurtain and hangers.

in the form of construction according to Figures 1 and 2, 3 is thesupporting tape which .is of any desired width, colour and bond orbinding, and on the longitudinal axis of which, at regular intervalsaccordingto the desired size of fold, are woven-in pockets 4 ofappropriate length. into these pockets 4 are inserted, through openings5, narrow stiffening bars 6 of plastic, metal, wire or the like. 7 isthe take-up cord, which in itself is made as a cord, braid or smallribbon with woven-in round or slot-like openings 8 throughout. .It isintroduced during weaving of the supporting tape. inthe direction of thewarp threads and near that edge of the tape. which is intended for theattachment of any kind of hangers 9, 9', V, which are availablecommercially, and is so woven or threaded into the tape that it isdisplaceable longitudinally and so that it passes over the middle of thepockets alternately from one side to the other of the tape and extendsbetween two adjacent points of stififcning so that it is floating overthe front or rear of the tape. The supporting tape is provided, abovethe middle of the pockets for the stiffening bars, with an elongatedhole it) for hooking through the hangers and on each side thereof with asmaller hole 11 for the free passage of the take-up cord 7.

The application and operation of the device according to Figures 1 and 2is as follows:

The supporting tape is sewn to the upper edge of a curtain 12 in theknown manner. If the hangers 9, 9', 9" are merely hooked through theslots 10, the curtain can be drawn to without folds forming, while onopening of the curtain the supporting tape and thus also the curtainbecomes disposed, as a result of the stilfening bars, in regular foldswhich are constrained to form alternately forwards and perpendicular tothe plane of pull. If, on hooking-in the hangers, the latter are at thesame time also hooked through an opening in the take-up cord, then as aresult, and corresponding to the fixed lengths of cord remaining betweentwo points of attachment, an appropriate fold-width is determinedaccording to their magnitude and,.as Figure 2 illustrates, compulsorilyretained on drawing to of the curtain.

In the forms of construction according to Figures 3 to 8, 13 is thesupporting tape of any desired Width, colour and bond or binding, and 14the take-up cord, which in itself is made as cord, braid or small ribbonhaving woven-in round or slot-like perforations 15 throughout, isintroduced during weaving of the supporting tape in the direction of thewarp threads near that edge of the tape which is intended for theattachment of any of the kinds of hanger 16, 16', 16" which are commonlyavailable commercially and is so woven into the tape that it isdisplaceable longitudinally and passes so that it is floating over thetape between two adjacent points of attachment for the hangers 16, 16,16" and passes through at these points alternately from one side to theother of the tape. In the examples of construction i1- lustratedelongated holes 17 are provided as points of attachment for the hangers16, 16', 1.6" at spacings which determine the size of fold desired. Leftand right thereof is arranged a smaller hole 18 for the free passage ofthe take-up cord 14, it being possible to use these holes like wise forthe hooking-in of the hangers.

The application and operation of the device according to Figures 3-8 isas follows:

The suspension tape is sewn in known manner to the upper edge of acurtain 19. On the hooking of the hangers 16, 16', 16" through theopenings 17 or 18, the hangers are at the same time also hooked throughan opening 15 in the cord 14, the spacings being chosen shorter than thelength of tape between two hangers, so that on being opened and closedthe curtain 19 automatically disposes itself in uniform arch-like foldsextending alternately forwards and backwards, the foldarches being keptin the middle plane (Figure 8). In this way tipping over or pulling downor out of the folds as a result of the weight of the curtain or hangingis prevented. As the constructional examples according to Figures 4-7show, the suspension tape can be further stiffened throughout in thelongitudinal direction in order to assist this efiect, for example bymeans of continuously wovenin resiliently flexible means. In the form ofconstruction according to Figure 4, these are squirted threads 20 ofplastic, preferably Perlon or nylon, of a thickness of for example 0.8mm., or strips 21 (Figure 7) consisting likewise of plastic or of metal,or springs 22 or 23 wound in helical form or flat (Figures and 6).

The sub-divided (Figures 1 and 2) or continuous (Figures 4-7) stiffeningof the suspension tape increases its supporting action for the folds,but is not necessary for the automatic disposition into folds, as thisis brought about by the take-up cord 14 alone, that is to say, withoutfurther aid.

I claim:

A curtain heading device comprising a tape adapted to be secured alongthe upper edge portion of a curtain to support the curtain, said tapehaving a plurality of hanger openings therethrough spaced longitudinallyalong the upper edge portion thereof, in combination with a singlespacing cord for regulating the spread of the tape and curtain andthreaded through spaced openings in said tape alternately on one side ofsaid tape and then on the other side thereof, said cord having aplurality of apertures spaced longitudinally thereof, each hangeropening of the tape and one of the apertures of the cord jointlyreceiving a single hanger for supporting the tape and curtain, thespacing between successive tape hanger openings being greater than thespacing between the corresponding joint hanger receiving cord aperturesso that said cord limits the maximum spacing between each pair ofhangers and compels the tape and curtain to assume an undulatingaccordionlike fold or pleat'extending on both sides of the cord betweeneach set of three successive hangers, said spaced openings through whichthe cord is threaded are separate from and closely adjacent the hangeropenings, respectivelyfa plurality of elongated pockets on said tape inlike number tosaid hanger openings in longitudinally spaced relationwith one of said hanger openings disposed centrally above thecorresponding pocket, said pockets having a' slit opening at onelongitudinal edge adjacent one end thereof, a plurality of elongatedstiffeners in like number to said hanger openings, one of said elongatedstiffeners being removably inserted in each pocket through the slitopening thereof, whereby said stifleners centrally beneath said hangeropenings cause the folds to extend uniformly on both sides of the cordwith the bends of the folds formed between the spaced adjacent ends ofsaid stiffeners.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS359,896 Shinn et al Mar. 22, 1887 2,161,382 Raapke June 6, 19392,366,986 Siden Jan. 9, 1945 2,518,301 French et al Aug. 8, 19502,648,379 Bishop Aug. 11, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 654,295 Germany Dec. 15,1937 694,469 Germany Aug. 1, 1940

